Attempts to treat acute and chronic disease states of the oral cavity with topical medications, and attempts to administer drugs for nonlocal disease states using the oral cavity to absorb drug have been hampered by the difficulty in maintaining a constant sustained release of an effective amount of drug.
With respect to the treatment of local diseases of the oral cavity, fluoride has been found effective in reducing the incidence of carious lesions in teeth. However, not all drinking water is fluoridated. In those areas where drinking water is not fluoridated, an alternate means for applying fluoride in a routine sustained manner is necessary.
With respect to the treatment of nonlocal disease states, cardiovascular drugs are often administered through the oral cavity as sublingual or buccal tablets. However, the time duration of the release of drugs is typically short. Current trends in therapy suggest greater control over angina is accomplished with long term administration of drug at lower doses.
Nicotine and nicotine substitutes are administered for absorption in the oral cavity as a deterrent to smoking. One method of administering nicotine is to incorporate nicotine in a gum base. The gum base releases nicotine in response to chewing. These gums tend to release drugs in a nonlinear manner. The patient must be cautioned to refrain from chewing a fresh stick of gum extensively due to the sudden release of nicotine. The sudden release of nicotine can cause headache and dizziness.
Polyvinyl alcohol compositions have been suggested for application for fabrication into films, tubing, fibers, contact lenses, and other medical prostheses, as control release vehicles for drugs, and other biological materials. See: U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,168.
However, there remains a need for a method and article of manufacture to deliver and release a sustained constant dose of drug to the oral cavity for local and nonlocal disease states and treatments.